To receive and consider the report of the Project Officer (Events and Civil Contingencies).
Minutes:
The Council was required to make preparations for Brexit following guidance from Welsh Government and from Westminster. However, the outcome of national discussions are as yet unknown. The preparations which the Council were making was to respond to a no-deal Brexit. The Committee noted that three groups had been established to undertake the planning and co-ordination in preparation for Brexit.
Ninety nine risks had been identified by the Council’s Services arising from Brexit, which had been reduced to the eleven most significant risks as included on the Brexit Risk Register. Mitigation had also been identified for these eleven risks.
Question / Comment: Have there been many enquiries from individuals or businesses regarding Brexit? |
Response: There have been some enquiries from businesses with information being sent to them by the regeneration Team as well as from Trading Standards. Information has also been made available on the Council’s website which signposts businesses and others to national websites. There have been a number of Freedom of Information requests in relation to Brexit. |
Question / Comment: What will be the impact on the Council? |
Response: This is difficult to know. The Council is planning for the worse case scenario at present. |
Question / Comment: European Union nationals living in Powys are being encouraged to seek settled status and a number have done so. Is there more that the Council can do to inform individuals about the need to apply for settled status. |
Response: 330 individuals have applied for settled status. The Council is pushing more information out on social media. The Home Office is due to distribute information packs to Councils which will be distributed to libraries. Welsh Government have also appointed Cohesion Co-ordinators who will identify where pockets of EU nationals live. More work needs to be done to inform people. |
Question / Comment: The Council is at the right point in its planning at present. What more can be done without scaremongering? It is difficult to make plans without definite knowledge of what is going to happen so the Council needs to tread carefully. |
Response: It is a difficult position for the Council. However, it is working within the guidance provided by the WLGA and others. |
Question / Comment: The Council is short of resources and more people should not be employed for this purpose. The greatest effect will be on farming in Mid Wales due to policies from Welsh Government rather than Brexit. |
Response: The Council is working with outside bodies to try to understand the issues and the impact on those sectors. However there is little the Council can do about the impacts. |
Question / Comment: When were the three co-ordinating and planning groups established? |
Response: They were established in late 2018 in advance of the March 2019 deadline. They were restarted once the Brexit deadline was changed. |
Question / Comment: Grant Thornton has been doing some research as to the likely impact of Brexit. When are they likely to report? There are two facets which will affect the Powys economy, Brexit and Welsh Government policies post Brexit. There are also threats due to tariffs to the Powys economy. Although these will not have a direct impact on the Council, there will be an indirect impact due to the economic impact. |
Response: The work by Grant Thornton has been published on the Welsh Government website. Links would be circulated to Members. |
Question / Comment: Supply chains and food shortages. This could have a significant effect on people on lower incomes. What can the Council do to work with the 3rd sector and in particular food banks? Is there anything the Council can do to lobby the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) regarding the waiting time for benefits? |
Response: Work has already been undertaken with the Trussell Trust and food banks. It was difficult to comment on what could be done to lobby the DWP. |
Question / Comment: What evidence was there that there could be food shortages? |
Response: The Chair commented that this was included in the risk register. Officers commented that this was raised due to potential delays at ports and had been based on the UK Government / Welsh Government risk registers. |
Question / Comment: Are the risks identified by the Council going to be made public? as there is concern about the comment regarding public unrest |
Response: It is public through the committee papers and by means of Freedom of Information requests. With regard to civil unrest this is a matter which the UK Government has told local authorities to prepare for. |
Outcome:
(i) That the link to the Grant Thornton report on the Welsh Government website be circulated to Members.
Supporting documents: